Antidepressants are increasingly being used to treat depression in pregnancy in Canada despite their lack of approval for this use by Health Canada or the US FDA. Recent scientific and public attention has focused on an increased risk for infants, and this has led to conflicting advice about the use of SSRI/SNRI antidepressants (such as Prozac, Paxil, Effexor, or other related drugs) during pregnancy. Some suggest avoiding all exposures, while others recommend use in order to avoid harm to mothers and infants from untreated depression.

Mintzes presents what she and colleagues found in a systematic evaluation of all available studies comparing women with depression who did or did not take antidepressants during pregnancy. Their goal was to find an answer to the controversial and urgent clinical question: do pregnant women benefit from taking antidepressants?